Filing apparatus



Jam 1945- R. P. SCHOLFIELD 2,358,162

FILING APPAMTUS Filed Aug. 26, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 30, 1945.

R. P. ,SCHOLFIELD 2,368,162

FILING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 26, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 30, 1945 FILING APPARATUS Richard P. Scholfield, New York, N. Y., assignor to Scholfield Service, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application August 26, 1942, Serial No. 456,253

6 Claims.

The present invention relates to filing apparatus of the type wherein a plurality of cards are secured upon the periphery of a rotatable filing drum, to facilitate access to a great plurality of cards by an operator. The invention includes modifications of, improvements upon and additions to filing apparatus of the types shown in the prior patent to Scholfield et al. No. 2,046,655, July 7, 1936, and in my application Serial No. 75,883, filed April 22, 1936, now Patent 2,231,029, February 11, 1941.

An object of the present invention is to provide improved card retaining rail structures, adapted to perform certain new and improved functions.

A further object of the invention is to provide card retaining means which makes it possible to secure certain of the cards upon the drum in offset or staggered relation to other cards, so that the former are positioned in a conspicuous manner for ready access by an operator.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved card retaining rail shapes and cards having novel slots therein adapted to cooperate with the rails, to secure the cards thereon in an improved manner.

A number of preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, but it must be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific details of construction shown herein and described below, as many modifications will readily occur to one skilled in the art, from a consideration of the disclosure of this specification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a transverse section through the rim of a filing drum in accordance with the present invention, showing one form of card retaining rail.

Figure 2 is a similar view showing another form of rail.

Figure 3 is a similar view of still another form of rail, and

Figure 4 is a view of another modification in which the cards may be mounted in staggered or offset relation.

As disclosed in the aforesaid patents and in my parent application Serial No. 386,326 and in my copending applications Serial No. 456,251 and No. 456,252, filedconcurrently herewith, filing drums of the type with which the present invention is concerned comprise a pair of drum heads which may be formed of stamped or spun metal and a cylindrical rim I80 preferably constructed of cast aluminum, suitably machined and havaround the, drum periphery or interrupted, and

provided with removable sections, as described in my parent application Serial No. 386,326. The rail comprisesa web I 30 having side faces I3I,

I32 which diverge in an outward direction from the periphery of the drum to the head I33, to

. produce a wedge effect upon the margins of the slotted throat of the card, indicated in dotted lines. At the outer end of the diverging portion of the rail web, the head I33 is positioned, defined by arcuate side faces I34, I35 and an upper or outer arcuate surface I36. As shown, the side faces I 34 and I 35 are struck about spaced centers on arcs of equal radius. The'outer surface I36 is disposed on a flatter arc, struck about a different center on a longer radius. This construction provides a line contact with the cards of increased length, and the head positively prevents the cards from riding outwardly and becoming tightly wedged to the rail web. The elongated, relatively fiat arc I36 at the outer end of the rail ing its marginal flanges IIII, I 02 secured upo 55 head provides an elongated bearing surface for the cards, when the cards are tipped rearwardly or forwardly for inspection or the like. Moreover, the elongated bearing surface maintains the cards in alignment and facilitates finding the cards. c

In Figure 2, a slightly different form of rail is shown, in that the head I40 at the outer end of the outwardly diverging side walls I4l, I42 is laterally enlarged to a lesser degree than in the form shown in Figure, 1. However, it will be noted that the side faces are again formed on arcs of equal radius and that the outer surface is disposed on a flatter are on a longer radius. The rail of Figure 2 illustrates a typical change in the proportion of parts contemplated by the invention and shows that the principle of the invention may be employed in a plurality of different designs.

Similarly, the rail and slotted card arrangement of Figure 3 illustrates a further minor Variation. .In this case the Web I 50 is relatively thicker than the web in the first two forms of the invention, and the side walls I5I, I52 diverge on a smaller angle. Further, the side faces I53, I54 of the head I55 join the outer end face I56 on arcuate curves I 5'! of short radius, instead of intersecting the outer surfaces as in Figures 1 and 2. Surfaces I53 and I54 are disposed, in section, on arcs struck about centers I58, I59 respectively, while'the outer surfacefl'lifi' is struck about a center IBUJ Hence, the radii oftli arcs I53 and I54 are equal, while the radius of the arc I56 is considerably longer. The corner arcs 151, which merge tangentially with the inner-and outer rail head surface are struck about centers I6I, on short radii. r11

The slot cut adjacent the inner edge of the 'lhe uppermargin I15 is spaced outwardly 'asu'bstantial distance from' the outersu'rfac'e 156 of the rail head, to permit thec'afd to be tipped *rearwardly or -forwardly,' and"i's" cut on an are having a radius equal inle'rigth tofth'el radiusof I the arc of surface I55.-

-Thus, when the cards are standing radially on the drum, they are'reta'ine'd by" a: line contact with the rail of-substantial lengthfandwhen they are tippedforwardlyor reafwardlyfthey en- 'gage the outer'face'ofthe' rail'head over'a substantial area] W -As' result of the combination of the diverging side -walls of the web -ahd;the IateralIy en- Iarged head atthe outer end'th'ereof the holding power'of the rail on the cards" is-in'C'reaSEd-and the rail as a whole may be of'le's'ser'l'ieight' or radial dimension-than in other cases.

In Figure-4 there is 'showna modified form of drum and card retaining "r n adapted to "secure a plurality of 'cardshp'oh'th periphery of the drum iii-axially staggered relation." In this case, the card retaining rail "55 proicts axiallyffr'om a druni head 96, which maybe-integral with the rim 51 or formedseparately. lThus'lftlie maps is disposed in 4 concentric spaced relation to the rimgflhe rail-has two or "more enlargements 98, 39', the upper surfaces ofwliich may bar- "cuat'e, and 'the lower or radially inner" surfaces inclined and diverging from the outer surfaces, as previouslyekplain'd lCar ds' having "su n'any shaped slots 'may be secured n'reangm staggered' relation as indicated 'in' Figure "This .type of card retaining' lnans "is partiularly usa nn in cases Whr'eth drum} is'nioun't'd' for fotation on a substantially'vrtical"or inclined aiiis. It provides "means 'for'ifirinlysecuring'the cards to the drum and'fonoifsetting"certain of the cards, axially relative to the others.

'Althoiigh tlie invention'has" been described with considerable particularity "by"refer'en'ce' to the embodiments shown the accompanying drawings, it must be understood that it is not limited to the details of construction shown therein and described above, but includes all modifications coming within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

I claim: 1. A rotary filing drum comprising a substantially cylindrical surface and a card retaining ""rail associated-therewith; said rail having side -faces*diverging outwardly in cross section from i the surface and providing a rail web of constantly 'increasing thickness from the surface outwardly and adapted to engage the margins of a wedge- "sha'ped opening in a card, and a laterally enlarged headat the outer edge of the web portion l'iaving 'side':faces which are arcuate in cross sec- 'tion and'whih "are adapted to engage correspondingly shaped 'margins of an enlarged portion'of said opening in the card. 2.'A*rotary filing drum comprising a substantially cylindrical rim having a card retaining "fail projctingoutwardly therefrom and arranged circuhiferentia lly' '6: the rim, said 'rail having a 'wb porti'orijdeflned by side faces diverging out- "waralyia cross section from the rim, and alat- 'ralIy' emargeaheadh ying convei' side and tol f'faces "disposed, in "cross" section, on "arcuate curves struck about sp'acedcenters.

3."A"rail for retaining cards'upon the periphe y f a fllingjdruni, o ginm a web havingdiverging side faces'adapted tobe positioned in a wedge-shaped throat oi' a slot in acard, and a flaterally enlarged head adjacent the end or the 'web,"adapted to be positioned in an enlargement 1 the inner :end'of t'he throat inthe slot in the H f4. A filing drum comprising a cylindricalsurface, a head at one en'd thereof projecting radially "batwardly therebeyond, and a peripheral card retaining rail projecting axiail y from the head and having an enlargement thereon adapted to' seairest plurality of cards upon theper ipheryof 'fth drum? 4 :filing drum comprising a cylindrical surface, a head atone end thereof projecting radially outwardly therebeyond, and s'ubs tantially "cylindrical card retaining rail projecting axially "from the head'ih'f concentric relation to said cylindrical surface, fs'aid "rail an enlargeine'n t' adapted to ;be received in 'reentrant slots "in a pluralityof cardsto'retainthelsameupon "6.A filing drum comprising a cylindrical surface, a head at one end thereof projecting radially outwardly therebeyond, and a substantially cylindrical card retaining rail projecting axially :f'ro'm'fth headin'conce'ntric relationto said cylindrical surfacefsaidiail having a plurality of axially spaced enlargements thereon, whereby cards having slots with a similar plurality of enlargements may be secured on said drum in axiallystaggered relation.

.R QHA P- SCH E EL 

